
62 Ballistics: Theory and Design of Guns and Ammunition
Point B is at some pressure in between the peak pressure of the shock and the initial
pressure of the material into which the shock is propagating. Point C is at the peak shock
pressure. From Equation 2.170, we see that the local velocity of point B must be greater
than point A and also that the local velocity of point C is greater still. This means that at
some time, t, these points must converge thereby forming a step discontinuity in pres-
sure. This step discontinuity is the way we model the shock—there is actually a very
small distance over which a shock will develop so that the pressu ...